It was sunny and bright at The Lincoln Theater on the east side of Columbus Monday, where about 35 community leaders gathered to hear U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx make comments about the upcoming awarding in June of $40 million to develop a first-of-its-kind Fully-Integrated Transportation Network.

From an original pool of 78 applicants, Columbus, “The Opportunity City,” home to state government, The Ohio State University and an insurance and banking, is one of the seven finalists—Austin, TX; Denver, CO; Kansas City, MO; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; and San Francisco, CA, represent the competition.

After Ohio Gov. John Kasich bowed out less than two weeks ago—after losing 46 Republican primary contests and winning only one—the 64-year old lame duck governor disappeared into the shadows.

The term-limited governor had clearly had his fill of reporters lobbing unwanted, annoying questions at him after more than 200-plus days of running out of state for a job Ohio voters didn’t elect him to run for because he didn’t include his ambition to be president in his reasons for a second term as governor.

After 18 years in congress and many years of working at Fox News as […]